4. Climatic change
In summary like we know climatology is more complex
than we think. The changes observed in the past and
the ones observed in the present are really interesting.
Something is changing. The actual climate will
change in the next years, with a higher speed owing to
the human activities. There are more extreme
meteorological phenomena like:
hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, intense
storms and floods.
5.
6. Climatic Change
There are many theories about climatic change. Ones say
that we are going to have a progressive global warming,
based on the increasing of the temperatures , the
greenhouse effect caused by the increase of CO2 and the
depletion of the ozone layer. Other say that is based on the
change of the submarine currents, the diminution of solar
spots and the increase of precipitations in the north
hemisphere.
The scientifics have been warned us from a long time ago,
and now the governments are more interested, because the
economy is being altered, and the catastrophes cause more
human deaths.
7.
8. Kyoto Protocol
The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC
or FCCC), aimed at fighting global warming. The
UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty with
the goal of achieving the stabilisation of greenhouse
gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that
would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference
with the climate system.
9. Objectives
These are the main three objectives in kyoto’s protocol:
Reduction of greenhouse effect. This is the most
important one, making a lot of countries reducing
their emissions of greenhouse effect gases.
Minimizing impacts on poor countries by establishing
an adaptation fund for climate change.
Accounting, reporting and reviewing in order to
ensure the integrity of the Protocol.
10.
11. Climatic variations
Here we will see, how the greenhouse effect and with it
the climatic change, are really changing the earth
climate, by increasing the temperatures and the
precipitations in the north hemisphere.
12. In this first map we see how the global
temperature, increased in almost every part of the world in
recent years. And in a lot of places increased around 4
degrees!
13. In the second one wee se how the precipitations
increased a lot in the north hemisphere, and also in
the equatorial zones, in this recent years.
14. Health consequences
So, why do we care about this? I would like Galicia to be a
hottest place, but this changes will affect to our health.
How? Let’s see.
The changes in the temperature, the humidity, the rainfall
and the increase of the water level can affect in the
apparition of infectious diseases. The mosquitoes, ticks
and fleas are sensible to the changes in the temperature
and humidity. This recent years many infectious diseases
appeared again in countries with particular climate
conditions.
One of this is the malaria or paludism wich we will speak
about now.
15. Health Consequences
Water-related Diseases
The warm temperatures of the sea surface promote algae growth, that
may be associated with cholera epidemics. The incidence of cholera
in Bangladesh in the early years of the last half century (1893-1940) did
not correlate with the phenomenon of El Niño, although in recent years
of the twentieth century (1980-2001) the relationship was
evident, consistent with the times when there were more events related
to it.
16. Health Consequences
Malnutrition
Studies on the effects of climate change on food production suggest
that cereal crops are likely to increase in mid-latitude regions or
high, but decreased in the lower latitudes. In particular, there
is concern that climate change may adversely affect nutrition
in Africa, mainly due to increased drought.
17. Health Consequences
Allergens
Mild winters may cause an earlier onset of pollination, so the
concentrations of the various allergens produced by
this phenomenon, might be increased. Furthermore, it has been
shown that increasing the values of carbon dioxide increases the
time and the release
of biogenic allergens (eg, particulate laundry), both indoors
and studies in situ. Thus, climate change may increase the incidence of
allergic rhinitis, the intensity and duration of symptoms, or both
18. Health Consequences
Dengue
The rate of dengue virus replication in the mosquito Aedes aegypti in the
laboratory directly increases with increasing temperature. If the
investigations are correct, projections with future climate
change suggest that temperature will relatively increase small in
temperate regions, due to the introduction of the virus in
a susceptible human population could increase the potential risk
of epidemics.
19. Health Consequences
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis has emerged as an important co-infection in
patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus in
southern Europe and parts of Asia. There may be differences between
the vectors in susceptibility to climate change. For example, a study
in Italy suggested that climate change could have expanded the
range of a vector and may have decreased another one. Climate
change could increase the geographical distribution of vectors
in regions of Latin America and Southwest Asia.
20. Health Consequences
Malaria
Climate change may contribute to the resurgence of malaria in areas where public
health infrastructures have become defective (eg., Central Asia and southern
areas of the former Soviet Union). In regions where malaria has been removed
locally, although the vector persists, there is a theoretical risk (reduced), they
appear localized outbreaks, which could increase due to climate change.?This
is an issue that causes a high dispute and will continue to improve our
knowledge by further investigations.
22. Health Consequences
Malaria death rate
Every year between 700.000 and 2.7 millions of people die of
malaria or paludism. The most of them (76%), are children
in endemic zones of Africa. Most of the cases occur in the
Sahara zones. Each year 396 millions of paludism cases
occur. The average is about 1.3 millions of deaths
annually, which a 90% are children under 5 years.
23. Health Consquences
Plasmodium parasite
Like we all know malaria is caused by the plasmodium parasite, that is
hosted in the mosquitoes of the Anopheles gender. This parasite is a
gender of protist which we know more than 175 species. This parasite
always has two hosts: the mosquito that acts like a vector and the
vertebrate host. There are 10 species which infect human beings, but
only four that produce malaria: P. falciparum, P. malarie, P. ovale e P.
vivax. Between all of them the first one is the worst.
